


the big picture

by peachsneakers



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Anxiety, Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Puzzles, moxiety - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-31
Updated: 2019-07-31
Packaged: 2020-07-27 18:17:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 593
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20050450
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachsneakers/pseuds/peachsneakers
Summary: Patton finds a calming activity.





	the big picture

"Here!" Patton exclaims in triumph, clumsily extricating himself and his prize from the hall closet. "I found it!"

"What exactly did you find?" Virgil asks, amused. He's arranged himself cross-legged in front of the coffee table, his back against the sofa. Patton's keen eyes can pick out the way his shoulders have tensed and how he keeps playing with his hoodie strings. If he's right- and he usually is about this- Virgil is getting closer and closer to an anxiety attack.

Hopefully the distraction Patton picked out will help.

It's a puzzle, but not just any puzzle. It's of a starlit night, bats hanging upside down in the trees. Despite Patton's unease, there is even a fluffy black spider in one corner, cozy against the broad trunk of a tree.

"This!" He declares, depositing the puzzle box on the glass-topped coffee table with a flourish.

"A puzzle?" Virgil asks, clearly skeptical. "I dunno, Patton, I'm not really into those. I get super frustrated-"

"It's okay," Patton says, seating himself next to Virgil, mindful not to touch his boyfriend. Virgil doesn't like to be touched when he's in this state, not unless he asks for it first. "I have a strategy."

"What?" Virgil asks. Patton beams.

"You find the end pieces," he says. "All the corners."

"I thought we went over this before as puppets," Virgil says, snickering.

"It's a lot easier with an actual puzzle," Patton cheerfully admits. "I thought you'd like this one in particular." Virgil bends his head, peering at the box. His mouth tips up in a crooked smile.

"Thanks, Pat," he says. "But uh, are you sure? I mean, there's a creepy crawly death dealer right there." He points.

"If I can deal with your pet spider, I can deal with a puzzle one," Patton says bravely.

"You can't even deal with the curtains in my room, babe," Virgil says. Patton feels his cheeks heat up.

"There are _tons_ of spiders in those curtains, Virge, you have _one_ pet spider," Patton says. "I can handle _one_."

"Well, if you're sure," Virgil says, and opens the puzzle box, tipping all the pieces out into a heap. It's a 100-piece puzzle, so there's quite a jumble.

"I don't get how anyone can make sense of this mess," Virgil groans, but Patton just spreads the pieces out to one side, scanning them.

"Aha!" He exclaims, seizing one. "Look, it's a corner piece. We can build on this."

"If you say so," Virgil mumbles, but Patton can see the mischievous spark in Virgil's eyes. Despite himself, he's enjoying this.

"I found another one," Patton says brightly, pulling out another corner piece and setting it aside. It's the top one to the previous bottom one, so he continues his quest through the mismatched puzzle pieces.

"Here?" Virgil says hesitantly, holding out a puzzle piece with a straight bottom edge.

"Perfect!" Patton says. He tries to fit it next to the piece he found. "Hey look, it fits!"

"Yeah?" Virgil cranes his head for a better look, shuffling closer to Patton until their knees touch. "So it does."

"Like us," Patton says. Virgil groans.

"So corny, Pat," he says. 

"Can I help that you're my missing piece?" Patton asks, with mock effrontery. Virgil laughs, his nose scrunching up the way Patton loves.

"You're ridiculous," he says, handing Patton another corner piece.

"And that's why you love me," Patton says, resting his head briefly on Virgil's shoulder. When he goes to move, Virgil's arm slips around him, tugging him closer.

"So it is," Virgil agrees softly.


End file.
